[aberaussie]

The excerpts from these books are absolutely appalling. I am not a prude, but after reading what kids are allowed or expected to read in this school system, I can't believe I was feeling a little guilty for letting my fourteen year old read Tom Clancy.

We homeschool, so we choose what books we use. What I would like to know from Freepers with middle schoolers or high schoolers in government schools is, are books like this commonly required reading? Are they in most libraries? What do you do?

[momfirst]

I have a middle-schooler in the public school system - so to answer your question, at least from his classes, they aren't "required" to read anything in particular except the textbooks. In his reading class they are required to read a book a week and report on it, but the books are of their own choosing. So far, he's made good choices, but that does have to do with the character he's built up to this point.

I can't say for other schools or when he hits high school. There was a stink last year here about some high schooler's being assigned Tom Sawyer and it's tone towards racism, so they say. I happen to think that's a mighty fine classic!

[ladylib]

You can go down to the school and complain to the teacher who assigned the book, but you might be told "You're the only one who complained," which is usually not true. If that doesn't work, you can go to the school board who might accuse you of being a book burner and tell you that if your child is not "mature" enough to read the selected assignments, perhaps she doesn't belong in Ms. Grundy's AP course after all, or you can decide to homeschool (or send your child to a private school that you trust) like you do and choose whatever you feel is appropriate.

Many schools today use books written after 1970 because they feel that books written before that are not politically correct. Honestly! That's the rationale.

Not all public schools assign books such as the one which appear on the PABBIS website, but many do.